


Heiress of Misery

by ChrissyRose (orphan_account)



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Rating May Change, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-01-15 15:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ChrissyRose
Summary: She believed the Entity had her best interests at heart. Adiris gave it everything, including her dying breath. She trusted that the promise they made that night would be fulfilled once she had served it well.There comes a time when she begins to see the error of her decision. But this realization may change everything for the better.*This work has been orphaned.*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written in years but I couldn't help myself when it came to posting. The summary is pretty shit so I might change it later, idk.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
>  
> 
> Note*: I wrote Adiris' dialogue using archaic/modern English, so "thee, thy, thou" etc is used when she speaks. I don't know a lick of the language she speaks, but I figured if she spoke English, she'd use fancy shit like that. I hope it's not too much of a pain to read (it was a pain in the ass to write LOL)

The cool air weaving its way throughout the stone halls left her with an inexplicable feeling of melancholy and loneliness. Perhaps it was the gentle way it caressed her skin, a mimic of a soft and sympathetic touch she had almost forgotten after what could be a millennia of deprivation. Remnants of ceremonies and blessed rituals haunted her memory as she paced through the once sacred halls. The temple, _her_ cherished temple, had been beautiful and full of life. A place of hope and longevity, where the faithful had gathered to pay homage to the Sea-Goat, the beloved God of Water and Creation. The people of Babylon, her devoted whom she had loved so much, would have done anything for.

 She _tried_ to save them. She tried so, _so_ hard. She held them as they deteriorated, weeping and retching in her arms. She cleansed, offered, sacrificed, prayed, begged for them. For their safety and good health. Her reward? Contracting the fatal illness and ultimately, the demise of her people. At the end, in Urashtu, in a final attempt at salvation, she had cried out to the encroaching darkness, one desperate orison to whatever God would be so merciful to hear her.

 And it worked.

 Even now, she remembers so clearly; her arm, outstretched, fingers reaching for something unseen as her breathing began to halt, vision fading, until Its touch coiled around her fingers, chitinous and warm and slimy. It held her in Its wickedly beautiful grasp, sweet whispers promising redemption, eternal life and beauty. _“A small price is all I ask of you, High Priestess.”_ It had whispered, the soft but almighty voice a welcome caress amidst the turmoil within her head.  Upon her agreement, the pain and fear melted away, replaced by new found hope and powerful devotion. For her Blessed Savior, she would do anything and everything to ensure Its happiness. She merely had to uphold her part of the bargain before she reigned free once more.

 That was then. This was now. Adiris had slaved and slaughtered in the name of The Entity, sacrificing the non-believers to feed and appease the spider-creature in the blackened void. Each time, _“More more MORE!”_ The once soft voice now a hissing squall that roiled at the back of her mind. Her faith had been tried before, and this time was no different. But Its ancient promise gifted fractured hope to her dismal heart and soul.

 Finding herself in the center of the temple, she allowed her eyes to wander. Even with access to her memories, The Entity had not remained true to her homeland. No longer was the temple situated amidst the gleaming sands of Babylon, but instead in the dark, dreary forest of the Rabbit-Woman. The weather had gnawed on the beautiful stone of the temple, converting it to a dull gray-green that made her heart weep. The longing she felt for her previous life was becoming unbearable, as was her growing irritation. With graceful movement, she made her way down the stairs, into the bowels of the temple. The crypt was as somber as the rest of the structure, perhaps even more so, except for the middle of the room where she kept the altar. Everything had been polished until it gleamed, the candlelight never dying under her watchful eye. The altar flaunted an array of colorful offerings that she had spent much of her time meticulously crafting to soothe the Blessed One. Grabbing an arrangement of flowers closest to her, she put them to the flame and placed the burning bouquet in the center of the altar, beginning her pitiful invocation.

 “Ancient Deity, thou swore to sanctify me. Have I not enforced your order? Hast thou forsaken thine hallowed pledge? I beseech thee, do away with this cursed ailment, for I can bear its cruel torment no longer.”

 A moment passed, then another. The flames flickered and the air grew heavy, a dark shadow falling upon her consciousness as It connected with her psyche.

  _“Darling Adiris. You’ve come to speak with me.”_ The gentle cadence of Its tone made her feel foolish for the worries she carried. Perhaps she had misjudged It, perhaps she would finally be let-

  _“You are the shining light of this realm, esteemed High Priestess_ . _You show a devotion unlike any other that serves Me. You work diligently in My name, and I believe it would be quite… deplorable… to release you so soon from My service. I am aware of your pain, your unending sorrow, sweet girl, but is it not what drives you? What steers you to redemption?”_

 Her heart sank and she sunk forward, resting her head on the cold stone of the altar. This was not what she wanted. She did not want questions. She did not want ambiguous answers. Freedom was what she wanted. Cleansing was what she wanted. The buildup of tears began to burn in her right eye. Her only eye.

 “... Is thy promise forfeit, O Great One?”

 A pause. One that lasted much too long for Adiris’ liking.

  _“Forfeit?”_ It chuckled. _“No. No, no. Of course not. But I do not think that your time spent serving Me is complete.”_

 “But forever it has felt like! I grow weary, of the constant pain, the execution! All I ask of thee is a reprieve-!”

 An abrupt sensation of horror took hold of the priestess. Without warning, an overwhelming pressure bore down on her, pinning her against the altar, her head now twisted at an awkward angle instead of resting on the altar. She felt as if her neck might snap.

  _“You will_ **_OBEY_ ** _Me, false-hearted whore!”_ She would’ve flinched, if she could. Gone was the delicate tone, replaced by one of anger and disdain. _“You are nothing without Me. I could’ve left you to rot in that cave, but I chose to reach out and save you. I gifted you understanding of a language that was completely foreign to you. Only to have you repay Me by choosing to be a recreant? I will not allow this. You will serve diligently, or you will come to know a pain even worse than the one you already carry. Begone.”_

 The pressure was released and she immediately bolted upright, taking a step back from the altar. It hadn’t spoken to her like that before. She really felt that she had more than fulfilled her part of the bargain, but perhaps she hadn’t. There was no way to measure time here, and the number of survivors she killed eventually started to blur together until she could no longer keep track. Still, she felt uneasy. The way It seemed to avoid her request and quickly became aggravated when she pushed the subject made her feel suspicious. The Entity had never been a god that Adiris and her people had worshipped, but It seemed benevolent when It came to her. Looking back, desperation had certainly dulled her better judgement.

 Now, she was more confused than anything else. Maybe she hadn’t made the right choice back in that cave. Maybe death would have been better.

 A walk would be good for her. Yes, a long walk. She had never bothered to venture outside her realm, reluctant to leave the familiar comfort of her temple. She returned to the upper portion of the temple, lingering at an open doorway. It would always be disheartening to see rain pattering down into the dark forest instead of sandy terrain, but she supposed it was something she could get used to.

 The cold mud squelching beneath her soothed her inflamed toes. She wondered if the Rabbit-Woman noticed the imposing temple that had been placed among her forest. If she ever came to visit.

 It was hard, being alone all the time. There was no one she could talk to, and the only people she saw, she had to kill. She often wondered what they had done to deserve the unending cycle of death. The Entity called them the Unfaithful, but were they really? They all looked so frightened and unsure. At times, they reminded Adiris of herself. She had no issues with it at first, but then she began to think. Think about what. Think about how. Think about why. Entity didn't like this. _“Why do you question my order? I know all - they deserve this. Inflict your vile retribution!”_ And so she continued, temporarily brushing her wonders aside.

 Curiosity never subsided forever.

  _Perhaps I could unite with the Rabbit-Woman,_ She thought to herself. An outside perspective would be nice, but having companionship was good enough for her, at least for the moment.

 The incense burner she carried cast a faint glow amidst the shadows of the forest. Her thoughts had stilled and it had been quiet, until she heard a noise, followed by a cry of distress.

 “Shit, that hurts!”

 It came from her left. She turned, approaching the direction of the noise until the source finally came into view.

It was the frizzy-haired girl with dark skin. She had done something to her hair that had changed it.  Before, it had been a messy tangle bunched together by a hair tie. Now it was shorter, around shoulder-length with violet streaking her dark waves. Adiris lowered her censer so she could observe.

 “Fucking David, stupid fucking fuck. ‘Ask Claudette! She'll go out and pick the healing herbs, even though it's extremely dangerous and she could be found and brutally murdered at any moment!’ Or pricked with a stupid-ass burr, which is like, a thousand time worse. I gotta stop being so nice.” A pause, then a sigh. “But it's hard not be.”

 Was she with someone or talking to herself? She referred to herself as ‘Claudette’. The priestess cautiously stepped a bit closer, peering with her right eye. No, she appeared to be alone. She was surprised she hadn't been noticed yet.

 Silence filled the air for a while as Adiris watched the little Claudette-creature pick different types of flowers and herbs that she tied into little bunches before she threw them into a basket.  

 “Amaranth, Primrose, Sweet William… gotta go to the swamp for the Bog Laurel...”

 How soft she looked. How gentle she sounded, even when mad. Adiris crept closer and closer, thinking about all the times she had hurt her. She was harmless, sitting here all alone, picking plants to aid the others, minding her own business, bringing harm to no one. Why did she have to butcher this girl?

 Sorrow swallowed her heart. The priestess reached out to touch her. She had to let her know she was sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit long, but I wanted to get the friendship between Claudette and Adiris established.

Claudette had no problem admitting that she almost shit her pants the moment the pestilent arms and gold adorned fingers wrapped around her shoulders.

The Plague was _so_ _goddamn tall_. How did she not notice that she was standing directly behind her as she unknowingly gathered plants? Pig or Hag, even one of the Legion, sure, but the _Plague_? She was as tall as Huntress. Maybe even taller.

There was no way of knowing what to expect. Was she gonna vomit down the back of her shirt and make her sick? Gouge her throat out with those metallic claws? Strangle her with the chain of her censer? Claudette was freaking out. She'd never been alone with a killer outside of a trial before - she couldn't imagine it going well.

But the Plague just… sat there. With her arms draped around Claudette's shoulders. A weight settling against the back of her neck was the taller woman’s head, nudging into her for some reason.

What the fuck.

_ Okay. Okay. This is fine. Absolutely fine. No big deal, whatsoever. Nope. No idea what the shit is happening, but I can wing it. Sure thing. Rightio.  _ Her thoughts were a mess. She was a mess. Two more seconds and she would've started sobbing.

The priestess beat her to it.

It started out as gentle huffs and sighs and the occasional tear hitting her skin, accompanied by the usual soft shaking. Then it progressed into ragged breaths and wracked sobs. Then the arms around Claudette's torso tightened into a vice grip as the priestess started to wail. The the amount of tears falling from her eyes - or eye, she supposed - felt like an attempt at recreating Niagara Falls.

"I'm  _ sorry! _ "

Now, this was a bit of a problem for Claudette. She was empathetic. Very empathetic. Psychotically so, as Kate might say, seeing as she had died several times just by going back for her fellow teammates in a trial.

So naturally, this was a bit of a kerfuffle for her. The side of the priestess she had known, the  _ only  _ side she knew, was one that was fanatical and harsh, unforgiving. The only thing she wanted to do was hunt and mutilate them, like all killers, but with her, there was a certain desperation to it. Claudette never could quite pin it down, but it seemed like she was distressed when hunting. Like there was something she was trying to get to, something she desperately wanted.

This previous knowledge was now conflicting with the information she was currently receiving. The Plague wasn’t the type that needed to rely on a trick like this - she was relentless in her pursuits. She could have taken Claudette down with ease if she wanted to. Instead, the priestess had collapsed on her, a weeping, snuffling pile. On top of that, she was begging for forgiveness, in English and another language she couldn’t place.

_ Think about it, Claudie. This is a new situation, and the worst that can happen is something you’ve already experienced, over and over. You could learn something new. _

She paused, wondering how she should proceed. Gingerly, she brought her hands up, gently grasping the priestess’. She tried to steady her breathing, attempting to relax so she didn’t exude too much nervous energy.

“It’s… it’s okay.” It was difficult to figure out what else to say.

The woman stilled, her sobbing slowly regressing to light sniffles. The weight on the back of her neck was withdrawn as the priestess lifted her head. “It is not okay.” The gentle voice cracked and she shook, signifying that not all tears had been shed.

Slowly, Claudette turned around, pulling herself out of the priestess’ arms, but keeping her bejeweled hands clasped in hers. The Plague opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by Claudette.

“I- I need to just, understand something, so can you listen for a second?” Her voice shook despite her best efforts, but the priestess simply nodded. “I’m not… entirely sure what brought this on, you know? It’s kind of confusing and I just wanna know like, what’s going on? I’ve - we’ve - never had much interaction with any of the killers outside of our part on the realm, and this is just… super unexpected?” She was sweating a bit, worried she would anger the Plague, but she kept her voice as kind as possible, swallowed against her dry throat, and continued. “It’s just, you never seemed to have a problem with doing what you do before, so why the sudden change? Why the regret? I don’t -”

The priestess stilled for a moment, then removed her hands from Claudette’s grasp and waved them, but not dismissively. She stood up and began to walk, beckoning for Claudette to follow.

“Wander with me, little one.”

Her voice was gentle and she didn’t seem angry, so, with a moment’s hesitation, she stood up and found her place by the priestess’ side. They walked side by side in silence, through the thicket.

“I’ve not always been the vile creature standing before thee.” Breaking the silence, the woman inhaled deeply, before continuing.

“I am sure ‘tis no secret to you, nor thine compeers, that I am ailing. Alas, I have not always been like this, bemoiled with illness and made bitter because of it. I had once been pure and proud, a mere servant girl before ascending to the role of High Priestess, Godhead of the Temple, Effulgence of Babylon.”

Claudette began to quietly choke on her saliva the moment she heard ‘Babylon’. She figured the priestess was old, especially seeing that she used things like ‘thee’ and ‘thine’, but holy shit,  _ that _ old? Babylon had been abandoned in the AD era, if she remembered correctly, and recalled learning in school that the ruins were now located in Iraq. Or were. She had no idea how long she’d been in this realm, how much of what she knew before may have actually changed.  _ It would probably be quite a shock to her if I told her Babylon doesn’t technically exist anymore, _ she thought to herself, and decided it would be better not to say anything on the topic.

“‘Twas everything I had ever hoped for,” she continued, her face brightening with joy, bringing out a beauty Claudette hadn’t seen before. “I truly believe that our God, the Sea-Goat, had blessed me with the privilege of High Priestess. I’d spent two decades serving the temple, aiding the priests, and I adored my duties, every moment I had spent ensuring the people would feel happy and safe. Unfortunately, I had been, and still am, carrying a heartache. My parents abandoned me when I was but a child, without rhyme or reason. The sorrow and incertitude, I carry to this day, a heavy weight that I never truly was able to break free from, but I found my place among the faithful of Babylon, with the Sea-goat. That has always been a comfort to me, even in my darkest times." A long pause.

“Then… it came. The cursed pestilence. I watched as the priests, who had become father-figures to me, collapsed and withered to desiccated husks, their vitality drained so quickly, it was cruel. They were unable to continue on with their sacred duties. Because of their faith in me, accompanied my previous experience, they entrusted me to take their place. Of course, before holding my very first ceremony, I was nervous. The priests’ sanctuary chamber had always been a place of comfort for me, so I returned there to assemble my thoughts. However, in the candlelight, I noticed something peculiar at the back…” It was like she snapped out of a trance. She looked over at Claudette, a sheepish smile pulling at her features. “I apologize. I feel that I’ve talked too much.”

Claudette shook her head, smiling. “No, please go on!” It was fascinating to hear about a killer’s past. The thought that they may have some of their humanity left made her hopeful, especially seeing the priestess acting so… normal.

Her smile was returned. She really was quite nice looking - well, rot and all aside. “Why not show you? Would you care to come to my temple?”

“I’d love to.”

They’d walked pretty far, the temple a distant speck in the distance. Claudette didn’t mind, and it seemed the Plague didn’t either.

It felt wrong to refer to her as that, now. Even though she had spent only a brief amount of time in the priestess’ presence, she just seemed so much more like a person. There was still that tickle at the back of her mind that telling her that she was being naive and this was obviously a trap. All it did was irritate her. She wished she could get rid of the constant paranoia that everyone eventually develops here, but it didn’t seem to be possible. At most, she could ignore it.

“Do you have a name? We always come up with something to call you guys, but I’d like to know what your actual name is.”

“Adiris. What is it that you call me?”

“The Plague.”

A chuckle. “Fitting.”

They continued on in silence, a light patter of rain beginning to fall from the sky, a few drops slipping through the lush branches that towered over their heads. Normally, she would have been upset about getting drenched, but they were much closer to the temple now, so she didn’t mind all that much.

“I don’t know much about the other pursuers.” Adiris sounded a bit sad.

Claudette felt bad for her. She’d been here only for a bit, but it surely got lonely, especially alone it that huge temple. “Would you like to know about them?”

“I’d like to know about the Rabbit-Woman. I share her forest. I see her sometimes, in the distance, or hear her lovely singing.”

Pausing, she was unsure of how to answer that. Did she want to know how the Huntress behaved in a trial, or what she was really like? How she behaved and spoke and felt? Because she had no clue. Those things were foreign to her - she hadn't even known the killers could communicate or even feel anything until recently. “Well, we don’t know too much about her personally, but we have a general idea of how she works. She’s a very good hunter, so we call her the ‘Huntress’. She has these little axes - hatchets - that she can throw at us from a distance. She has a primary weapon, like you. It’s a broad axe. You all differ from each other in some kind of way, your weapons and powers. That's all we really know.”

“Mmm.” The hum she got in response suggested a lack of satisfaction with the answer, but the priestess didn't press further.

A few more yards and they were there. The temple was ever ominous, but it was beautiful at the same time.

“The outside had been a dazzling white, before the weather wasted it.” It was like she read her mind.

Outside of a trial, Claudette actually had time to admire the interior of the structure. There was much more light now, a contrast to how dim and gloomy it was when the location was being used as hunting ground. Lamps and candles illuminated the walls and cast cozy shadows in the dreamy glow. Descending into the tomb, she noticed something that was never there during the trials.

It was an altar, made of alabaster and gold, decorated with an arrangement of red and white flowers, blackened sticks, and lace. In the middle stood a effigy, modeled in the likeliness of the Entity.

“Woah!” She couldn't contain her wonder, running up to the altar to take a closer look. “Is this where you worship?”

“Yes.” Adiris edged towards her, gripping Claudette by the wrist to pull her away. “Do not touch It. It will hurt you.”

They walked past the altar to the very back of the crypt, where the circle of salt was. Adiris slid her hands along the wall, before finding something and pushing it inwards.

“This is where it truly began for me,” she smiled softly as the secret door slowly shifted open. Stepping into the room, Claudette saw the beautiful statue of a woman, crafted of pure, solid gold. Adiris continued forward, tracing the statue with her fingers. “For me, this was the final sign. Not a soul knew of this chamber. I am the only one who ever discovered it. Her fingers were adorned with jewels and gold,” lifting her hands and wiggling her fingers for emphasis, “and I took them, adorning my own hands with them. Garbing myself in my robes and headdress, I entered the room. Silence fell as they saw, regarding me with awe.”

Her tone then changed, looking down at the floor in shame.

“I thought myself immune to the illness. I believed the gods would save me, and through this, I would save my people. How wrong I was. I fell as easily as any other, and in my final moments, I gave my final plea and that…  _ thing _ -” she gestured outside to the effigy on the altar, “ - reached out to me. It fooled me. I see that now.”

Damn. Poor girl. She just wanted to be good and take care of her people. Instead she ended up with the plague, almost died, and got trapped here. Life sure is a bitch. She doesn't know what to say to make anything better, so she drapes her arm around the priestess’ waist - too short to reach her shoulders - offering a sympathetic smile.

“I hope you realize none of it was your fault.”

“Was it not? They all held faith in me, and I allowed them to die.”

Claudette was positive that Adiris knew they were both from different time periods. She had to, right? They both dressed and spoke differently. She wanted to tell her what the plague was and how it came to be, but at the same time, she didn't want to upset her.

Then again, knowing you were helpless had to be better than blaming yourself for a millennia, right?

“Um, do you think we could maybe sit down somewhere or something? I think there's something you should know.”

“Of course.” Gliding past her, Adiris made her way up the stairs as Claudette followed closely behind as they made their way to one of the nearby openings. Adiris sat down on the ledge, patting the space beside her.

“What is it you want me to know?”

“Well, so, are you aware that you and I are from different era?”

Adiris rested her chin against a fisted hand, looking out into the rain. “I figured that may be the case. You speak differently and dress differently than I.”

“Okay, yeah. Well you see, I come from a time that comes way, waaay after yours, and we were taught a lot about what happened in the past, and one of those things was the disease that spread to Babylon, infecting you and your people.”

She perked up immediately, looking directly at Claudette. “Tell me! Please, tell me.”

Delving into an elaborate explanation, Claudette began. She told her about the different types of plague: Bubonic, Septicemic, Pneumonic, Black Death. The ways it could spread, how it started. She discussed the types of symptoms and explained what Adiris had on her body: the swollen lymph glands, gangrene, swelling and inflammation, everything she could possibly identify. In this moment, Claudette had never been more grateful that she had the kind of knowledge she did. Her studies of medicine, plant life, illness and sciences helped her tremendously when it came to helping Adiris understand how everything came to be and how it affected her. By the end, the taller woman was crying.

“I greatly appreciate you taking the time to speak to me about this. I have always carried the guilt that the demise we faced because of that illness had been caused by my own ineptitude. For years I have chastised myself, now I see perhaps it was not all my fault.”

The rain was coming down in sheets now, an aqueous fog forming from the mist that rapidly assaulted the ground. A hand placed itself on Claudette's shoulder, before she was pulled into a hug.

“It is much too cold to travel back to the others. Stay with me ‘til the tempest passes.”

And so she did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I apologize for the wait on the update. I've been pretty busy with school since graduation is coming up, so we have a lot of essays and projects and things to get in before the year ends. I've been arranging for some of my family to fly out for the banquet, so that's been a bit time consuming as well. When I haven't been working, I've been napping for unreasonable amounts of time. I wanted to have new chapters out at least a week after updates at max, but for the month of May and most likely June as well, updates may be all over the place.  
> Also, I know at the beginning I said that Adiris will be using Old English and archaic lingo, but honestly, my brain has just been too fried to even bother at the moment. I'm still gonna keep her dialect formal and whatnot, but I've decided to have minimal use of thy/thee/thou/archaicwordsIgoogleandusetosoundsmarterthanIactuallyam for the rest of the fic.
> 
> Anyways, I hope the length of the chapter is satisfactory after a bit of absence! Feel free to let me know if you enjoyed or not. :)

Adiris woke slowly, greeted by the gentle candlelit glow that replaced the darkness behind her lids with each flutter of her lashes. It had been a while since she had been relaxed enough to rest, the calmness she now felt making her euphoric.

It was a splendor she hadn’t been able to experience for years - a good, simple nap. As a priestess in Babylon, she was far too busy to allow herself a moment of repose, and now in the Entity’s realm, it asked too much of her - she was constantly preoccupied. The Entity, of course, was far more important than any of  _ her _ needs.

The tranquility she felt was almost as foreign as the small, warm weight she felt pressing against her side.

Looking over, she was pleased to see little Claudette, curled into a ball and nestled into her side, breathing softly and rubbing her nose in her sleep every now and again. Adiris didn’t even remember bringing out the small cotton mattress from the back room, but she didn’t doubt that she had done it for the comfort of her new friend.

Slowly and carefully to ensure she didn’t wake the small girl, Adiris slowly inched off of the mattress, bit by bit, until she was far away enough and was able to guarantee that any sudden movement wouldn’t wake Claudette. Standing up, she pattered softly out of the room, casting a vexed look over at the altar before ascending the stairs. Her routine normally consisted of the same monotonous tasks that she had grown to abhor but had always felt shame for feeling that way. Those tasks always began with the altar. Tidy it up and commune with that brainless, hubristic, worthless excuse of a God. Listen to It whine and yell and moan at her, unable to do anything but agree. Then, she would tend to her temple, keeping the light alive and the relics of her past clean and revitalized, until she was eventually called to a trial. Then another. And another. And another.

Today, she could care less about what The Entity wanted and expected of her. She had her own agenda today, fully intending on seeing her plans through.

Well, she had one plan. That was about it. It was a good start though, and better than the alternative. Making her way to the temple’s entrance, she was pleased to see that the rain had stopped. She wouldn’t have to worry about damp clothing and the disgusting feeling it left on her skin.

She was about to step out to head to her destination when she was overcome with a swell of paranoia.

_ What about Claudette? I cannot leave her here unprotected, but I cannot bring her with me either. _ She supposed she could wake her and tell her to go back to the campfire, but a selfish twinge coiled up inside her and she decided that she did not want Claudette leaving just yet.

Instead, she turned around and headed back into the temple, knowing exactly what to do. She searched frantically, combing the upper level of the temple. Unsuccessful, she headed back down, looking in every nook and cranny until she eventually found it.

Lodged in the wall in the place of a brick she had previously removed was a metal lockbox. She had remembered it, but completely forgotten where it had been hidden. Pulling it out, she flipped the lid and probed around the inside, looking for something very specific… Ah, there it was.

An amulet, carved of carnelian stone. On it, the word ‘sanctuary’ in the Sumerian language had been engraved into the smooth face of the rock. Humming with contentment, she closed the box and slipped it back into its place in the wall. Making her way back to the place she had awoken, she was pleased to see Claudette still there, her mauve-brown hair spilling around her head like a darkened halo.

Kneeling at her side, she slipped a hand under the girl’s head, careful not to disturb her peaceful slumber. Gently, she propped her head up a bit, slipping it over her head.  It looked beautiful against her dusky skin, and she couldn’t help but notice that the pendant dangled just above the valley of her cleavage, and she caught herself staring a bit too long, a blush tinging the pallor of her skin.

Flustered, she composed herself and exited the temple, scolding herself for her behavior. Any good priestess would know better than to even dare think about someone in a sexual manner. She would take the time to rebuke herself later. All that mattered right now was that Claudette was under the protection of her favorite warding pendant, which would hopefully keep her safe from the constant evil lurking through the fog.

Now, to continue on with her original plan. Trekking through the sludge created by the mix of mud and rain, she set off towards the Huntress’ area of the forest. After being in the company of Claudette, Adiris realized just how tired she was of being alone all the time. There would come a time, she feared, when Claudette would have to leave her. She doubted that the Entity was pleased with her transgressions, mingling with her supposed prey and all, and that was part of the reason why she didn’t commune with it this time. She didn’t want to get hurt and she certainly didn’t want her new friend to get hurt, but she also didn’t want the girl to leave, even though it was inevitable.

So, she had made the decision to try and form some kind of bond with the Huntress. Befriending those more like her would result in a more permanent companionship, and besides, she had always been curious about the others. However, she had no intention of letting her relationship with Claudette wither.

Eventually, the thicket parted and the heaviness in the air eased, leaving her a little less anxious. There was no way of telling how this meeting would go and she didn’t really know how to approach or what to say to the woman.

The first edifice she came across was a smokehouse, tall and made of dark brown wood. Poking her head in, she was greeted by three cows strung up by their feet, roasting over the fire. God, the smell drove her mad. How long had it been since she’d eaten, without throwing everything back up, at that?

No sign of the Huntress in there. Stepping out of the smoke house, she saw the big log cabin and figured she’d be found over there.

The architecture was much different from what Adiris was used to. Her people had used brick and stone, whereas the Huntress seemed to only make use of wood. The interior of the cabin was almost entirely made of wood as well, aside from the stone hearth. Though it seemed strange to Adiris to construct a home out of something so flammable, it certainly was cozy. Over the crackling from the fire in the hearth, she heard the soft humming and what sounded like an axe cutting through wood. Eager but timorous, she quietly inched to the doorway, peeking around the wooden frame.

There she was, chopping wood, just as she expected. One thing Adiris really liked about the other woman was that the Huntress was about a head taller than her. Having been surprisingly tall for most of her life, always looming over the others in the temple, Adiris had felt a bit out of place. Now she had the comfort of knowing there was another close to her height.

Moving from her place by the doorway, she moved up behind the Huntress, until she was standing just a few feet behind her. Having no idea if she should do a proper introduction or immediately start asking questions, she settled on a greeting.

“Hail!” Her voice squeaked a bit.

Unfortunately for Adiris, she seemed to have a knack for sneaking up on people and popping up when they least expected it. Despite her height and outlandish appearance, her unwitting capabilities of stealth could very well be enough to make even the more sly killers jealous.

This was made very apparent when the Huntress shrieked and the large axe she’d been using to chop wood flew out of her hands, hitting the wall of the house behind her. Whipping around, she was wringing her hands and flailing around in a nervous manner, breathing rapidly.

_ “ _ _ Чёрт!” _

This reaction took Adiris completely off-guard, totally oblivious to the fact that she had basically ambushed the other woman - leaping back, she started shrieking herself.

Now, this whole thing was a bit of a hiccup, but any witnesses to the spectacle would be having a hoot, especially survivors. Here stood two of their feared pursuers, standing and screaming at each other like little girls who just found spiders in their bedrooms.

It died down eventually, leaving the two staring at one another in complete disbelief. The Huntress was the first to speak.

_ “Why???”  _ She wailed, in a heavy accent Adiris had never heard before, as she walked towards the priestess with her arms held open, gesturing wildly to her.

“I - I am,  _ so  _ sorry - I merely wanted to say hello -”

“That  _ not _ ‘hello’! That  _ sneaky! _ You are tall - not Pig! Why you try to be like Pig?!”

Pig? Pigs sneak? Pigs were cute and fat and jolly, not sneaky. Adiris was confused, upset, and disappointed in herself. She wanted to make a friend, but now they were both freaking out and the Huntress was saying words in a language she didn’t understand and talking about pigs.

“I assure you, that was not my intention!” She stepped closer to the masked woman. “I do not seek to become a pig! I wish to be your compeer!”

Huntress started to calm down a bit at that. Her flailing stopped but she was still wringing her hands, lips curling into a confused frown as she tilted her head. If Adiris could see her face behind the mask, she could almost guarantee her eyebrows were furrowed.

"Cuh… Cohm-pear?”

She had forgotten that there was likely a bit of a language barrier between the two of them. “Ah… ‘tis… friend! I wish to be your friend.”

The Rabbit-Woman’s attitude shifted immediately. Her posture relaxed and she held a more comfortable air about her. “Friend? I like friends - I have toys for friend to play with! But why you sneak? I only like sneak in hide and seek, when I try to find my little girls!” Her voice was a tad gruff, but kept its feminine likeness. Did she have daughters? She spoke like a child, though. Adiris couldn’t figure out why. Huntress appeared to be around her age, if a bit younger.

“I hadn’t been trying to sneak up on you, I swear.” She spoke softly and slowly, trying to model her speech after Claudette’s, figuring Huntress may understand that a bit better. “Truthfully, I hadn’t realized I’d been so silent. I had no intention of frightening you. I saw I shared your home when I arrived and I had the desire to meet you.” She offered a smile.

A pause, then her smile was returned as Huntress nodded frantically. “You are new meat, yes! Lady in big temple! Sick lady - you make little prey sick too!”

“How did you figure that out?” Her appearance was more than a dead giveaway, but she was fairly certain Huntress had never seen her before.

“Big thing in sky always tells us who comes! What they do! You make prey sick, then they go get not sick, then you get the - the  _ very _ sick, then  _ very _ sick hurts them!”

It was a bit disturbing, how much she sounded like a child struck with awe and wonder over something so heinous. Her skin started to crawl, but not because of Huntress herself. The implication that the Entity was adeptly manipulating someone who didn’t fully comprehend what was truly going on was what made her uneasy.

“Ah, yes, well. I suppose that would be correct.”

The rabbit-eared girl nodded eagerly. “Very cool! I am Anna.” She stuck her hand out and Adiris took it, a gentle handshake ensuing.

“Adiris. A pleasure.”

Anna went back to chopping wood, but told Adiris she could stay if she wanted to. She regaled her with tales of a foreign land called Russia, Anna’s homeland. She expressed her avid desire to have children, particularly her own. She told her of her mother, that her knowledge of hunting was passed down from her and the various ways the two made it through hardships and cold, harsh winters. Listening to her talk, Adiris realized how sheltered her life had been. All she’d known was the church and the Sea-Goat, sun and sand, celibacy and asceticism. She supposed that maybe part of that was because of her family, abandoning her on the steps of the temple with little knowledge of what the world had in store, but it was her own fault as well. As she grew older, she could have chosen to follow her own path at any given time, but instead, she had stuck to the church. It had been a safety net - feeling unloved and alone, she was too afraid to venture out, fearing that was all she would find once more.

She loved the temple, the priests and the Sea-Goat, of course. Her duties as High Priestess were taken very seriously. But she remembered watching, enviously, from the open windows of the temple as other women jaunted about with suitors and friends, close packs of women with arms linked, giggling throughout the night, kissing their beau’s while daydreaming about marriage and perfect families.

That had been one thing, too. Adiris had been beautiful, though only a fragment of that beauty remained now. Despite being High Priestess, many men, young and old, rich and poor alike, had pursued her, despite her required chastity because of her oath to religion. But there had never been a man to stir any sort of romantic desire within her - it had always been women. That had been taboo, as it was, but the High Priestess harboring feelings, for a woman no less? The shame had always weighed heavily on her conscience, not daring to tell a soul.

Erishti had been her name. Even now, her image haunted Adiris’ mind - golden skin and sepia tinged hair, accompanied by the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. She was one of the girls Adiris had spotted during one of her many nights gazing upon the citadel, and was quite surprised when she showed up for the gatherings at the temple. After a few sessions had come to pass, Erishti had approached her while she was tending to the altar alone.

“You are admirable, High Priestess. I beg your utmost pardon, should I be intruding, but I had to speak with you. You are my idol - an angel amongst our people, truly.”

Her voice had been a lullaby of susurrations and soft-spoken praises. Eventually, Erishti began to visit after the assemblies had finished, aiding Adiris with rituals and ensuring the church was kept proper. When the plague swept through the lands and one by one, the denizens fell ill, Adiris had been utterly destroyed when Erishti came to her, legs darkened from rot, painful wounds blooming and festering on her chest. Sobbing and begging for forgiveness. Adiris had promised her that she would save them all as she held the girl in her arms, both weeping and praying for safety, for vitality.

They hadn’t been heard.

Adiris felt a wetness on her cheek that snapped her out of the cruel reverie. She hadn’t realized she’d begun to cry, Anna having stopped what she was doing, now rushing over to the priestess and bundling her up in her arms.

“Who do you cry for, Adiris?” She mispronounced her name a bit, extending the first bit out so it sounded like  _ Adeeris, _ but it was endearing and made her lips try a smile.

“An old, old friend. Do not worry for me, Anna. She passed, long ago.”

Anna brought Adiris into the cabin, sitting her down by the fire. She kept one arm wrapped around her shoulder as she settled in beside her, offering a kind smile. “ I lost someone, too, long time ago. My мама. Мама died saving me. Sometimes, I have hard time not thinking it wasn’t my fault. But when I sleep, мама comes to me and says she loves me and that she would get hurt over and over and over again if it meant I stay safe. Then, she sing to me until I sleep. I think where your friend is now, she understand, and that she sing to you too - you just can’t hear her yet.”  

How lovely. Perhaps she was right, and she had to keep in mind what Claudette told her - the disease was completely out of her control. But her people would never know that, would they? She could only hope that wherever they did end up after death, they had gained the knowledge she had about the illness that had destroyed them all.

“Thank you, Anna. Those are very kind words.”

Anna nodded and stood up, gesturing. “Come! I need to take this wood to friend. You meet him.”

Obliging, Anna and Adiris walked through the forest. Anna was carrying the large bundle of wood on her own, corded arms flexing under the exertion. She refused to let Adiris help, worried that slivers would lodge into her already sensitive skin, or the wood chafing against her and causing more pain. Probably the best idea, but she felt bad.

A bout of anxiety hit her as they left the forest, entering a more barren, modern-looking wasteland full of crushed metal and gadgets she couldn't name or recognize. She'd been here before in trials, but that was simply because she had to. Now it looked different, the many different parts of this realm now together instead of spliced apart, turning it into a vast expanse of grey, brown, and the occasional odd splashes of color from one of the strange inventions with windows and big circles of rubber attached underneath them. She never ventured outside of her realm on her own, because she recognized it. It was safe and familiar. Here, outside of the trials, she did not know what to expect, and it made her afraid.

They were approaching a building with a big glowing sign that read “Gas Heaven”. The only reason she had been able to discern that the little pocket realms had been all part of the same place was because of how similar their layouts and objects were. Seeing it all placed together, it was impossibly vast.

_ “Philip!!!”  _ Anna screeched, completely unprompted, making Adiris trip out of surprise.

In the doorway appeared a long-legged silhouette, dressed in a an elegant suit with a cloak thrown over its shoulders. As they got closer, she could see a bleeding and still-beating heart embedded into the skull of the weapon. This creature must be Philip.

“Hello, darling Anna.” He cooed, approaching her and giving her a soft pat on the cheek which made Anna bounce on her feet with joy, jostling the pile of wood. He then turned to Adiris, tilting his head in a nod of acknowledgment. “Adiris. A pleasure to see you've become acquainted with our dear Anna. I've been dying to meet you.”

“How hast thou come to know my name, without our paths intertwining?” She felt a bit more comfortable reverting to her regular dialect with him.

A light chuckle. “I know many things, Adiris, for I am everywhere, but also nowhere. I shift and travel in ways others cannot. It gifts me knowledge that few have.”

Seemingly bored with the direction the conversation was taking, Anna piped up. “We make gift for Sally!”

“Yes. Yes, of course. Come in, both of you.”

They sat down in the middle of the room,  pile of wood placed beside Anna. She hadn't even noticed the tool belt Anna had strapped to her waist. As if reading her mind, Philip spoke once more.

“Anna is very skilled at crafting things from wood, you see. I want to give something to my partner, Sally, for our upcoming anniversary, but there is not much in the manner of gifts to give here. A bouquet of flowers is only suitable a few times before the sentiment is lost.”

“How long hast thou been with thy swain?”

“It is impossible to tell, but it feels like years. Several glorious, lovely years.”

Her thoughts danced to Claudette, making her heart ache.

“We make dog, yes? Sally love dog?” Anna had her head cocked and her tools out, a piece of wood at the ready. Philip nodded his response.

She carved quickly and with expert precision, taking notches out of the wood, smoothing the edges over, carving tiny, intricate details into the material. She used as much of the wood as possible, creating a decently sized statuette of a dog, with big pointy ears and a long tail, lips pulled back in a cheeky grin to reveal its wooden teeth. The markings she created to emulate a dog's fur were exquisite, almost lifelike. They had sat there in mostly silence, Philip making the odd comment about what details to add based on what he believed his Sally would like best. Anna even went as far as to create a mini doghouse for it.

When the product was finished, Philip beamed at Anna, and she beamed back.

“Absolutely splendid! Many thanks, Anna. I will be sure to let you know what Sally thinks of your impeccable craftsmanship.” He pulled her into a tight hug before seeing them out, walking with them back to the edge of the forest. He shifted his gaze to Adiris, then back to Anna.

“You go on, dear. I must have a word with your new friend.”

She started to pout and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as Philip raised his hand. “You live close to Adiris, Anna. You can see her whenever you like. I, on the other hand, do not have such a luxury. Could you allow me this moment, please?” His voice was gentle, but firm, like a parent trying to get their child to listen to them. It proved to be effective.

“... Okay. Bye, Adiris!” With that, she disappeared into the thicket, humming that same gentle song. Adiris turned to Philip, seeing that he was regarding her kindly.

“I know that you don’t know me all that well, but I am happy that Anna brought you over and we were finally able to officially meet.”

“Likewise, Philip. I appreciate your acceptance of me into your home.”

He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve been here a long time, and I’d like you to understand something. Being here does not make you an evil being. I know you’ve struggled with these thoughts - almost all of us have. The Entity pulls us here, then starts to prey upon our weaknesses and guilt. It uses it to distort how we view ourselves, our morals and actions. This is how It bends us, contorts us into husks that are driven by nothing but Its will. You  _ cannot _ let It cloud your mind this way. Hold on to the good that lies within you - remember who you were, who you still are. None of us had the choice to come here, and killing those people? It wasn’t your choice. It’s just something we have to do. The only ones who do enjoy it were truly evil in their previous lives.”

It was surprisingly nice to hear that, particularly from someone who was basically a stranger. If he had truly been here for a long time, then she was able to take comfort from that as well. He didn’t seem to have completely lost his mind yet, so perhaps there was hope for her.

“You are kind, Philip. I thank you for this. If you don’t mind my prying, I am curious - you stated that you are able to glean understanding in ways others cannot?”

Grinning, seemingly pleased with her question, he took a few steps back. “I figured you may wonder about that.” In one swift movement, he raised both his weapon and a bell he had attached to his waist, clanging the skull against the metal twice.

The he  _ completely  _ disappeared.

She spun around, hearing his footfalls and light breathing, but that was about it. He didn’t leave her in bewilderment for too long though, reappearing beside her shortly after.

“I can traverse into the Spirit World,” He said matter-of-factly, “it allows me to sneak up on the survivors during the trials. When I do it outside of one, however, they whisper to me - the spirits. They speak to me of what they see and feel, and I listen. In return for my company, they grant me knowledge of the Entity’s realm, what goes on in it, with its denizens. They have come to trust me, and are placated by my presence.”

Everyone was just full of surprises and quirks. It grew her eagerness to learn more about the others.

“Well, I do hope you’ll pop in and say hello from time to time. Though you haven’t met her yet, Sally and I welcome you into our little family. I can see that Anna has taken a liking to you, and I’m sure Susie will as well.” He turned to leave, hesitated, looked over his shoulder. “If you wish to find Sally someday, ask your little friend about her. She knows my darling girl as ‘The Nurse’. Now, I bid you adieu!” With that, he disappeared into the wreckage, silhouette enveloped by the fog.

She felt lighter on her way back to the temple. She had quickly found a niche amongst the others, who she had more similarities with. Traipsing into the temple, she immediately went downstairs, dismayed to find to find the cot absent of her friend’s presence.

“Claudette?” She called softly, wandering back up to the middle of the temple.

“Oh - uh, hi!” She popped up from one of the corners of the room, near Adiris’ golden tablet. “I was just, um, studying these inscriptions.”

Adiris sensed that something was off. Narrowing her eyes, she stalked towards Claudette, slowly, until they were a few inches apart. Claudette’s smile began to falter, though she tried not to show it.

“You would lie to me in my own home, Claudette?” She wouldn’t hurt her, but by no means would she be taken for a fool.

Claudette cast her gaze downwards, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, I-”

“You will look me in the eyes when you address me.”

Slowly, she looked back up, nervous energy radiating from her small body. She took a deep breath, then the words tumbled out at rapid-fire speed. “I’m sorry, I really am, but I just got scared that maybe your attitude would switch when you got back and you’d want me gone or you’d try to hurt me but I just felt really safe and for once I didn’t feel the Entity’s presence or pull and I haven’t slept that good in  _ so  _ long and when I woke up you were gone and I have a tendency to overthink things when I’m alone and I had a feeling that I should just leave for good and I actually did leave but then I-”

Adiris smiled and reached out, grabbing her head, massaging her scalp with her golden-clad fingers.

“- Oh… shit, that’s nice.” Adiris nearly purred.

“I would not turn on you, little one, but I understand your concern. You may stay here for as long as you like - though I’m not sure how much control I have over that.” Claudette’s shoulders heaved in relief, pressing into Adiris’ touch. “Now,” she cooed, “who is that behind you?”

Claudette and the figure behind her jolted in synchronization. Looking behind her, and then at Adiris, Claudette sighed.

“C’mon, Jane.”

A pretty woman in a matching red skirt and blouse emerged from her hiding spot in the shadows. She did not seem afraid, just cautious.

“Is this a trick, Plague?”

“Adiris, actually,” Claudette interjected.

“Fine - Adiris. Is this a ploy to get some easy kills?”

Finding this funny, Adiris laughed. “I could easily slaughter both of you without illusions and tricks. You know this. I would not have allowed Claudette to stay here this long, had that been my intention.”

“I guess… I guess that’s true.” Pursing her lips, she seemed to be contemplating something as her eyes darted between Adiris and Claudette. “How did this even happen in the first place?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Claudette spoke, almost shyly.

“Well, I’m here because Claudette brought me here. Obviously. I didn’t believe a word she said, so I wanted to see it for myself.”

“That, and you’re scared of the trials.”

“I am  _ not _ scared-”

“Oh, Christ, Jane. Everyone is scared. No one is judging.”

“Then why come to me, should you be so frightened?”

Jane seemed like the type who wasn’t fond of coming across as a weakling. She had bristled with irritation at the mention of being scared.

“When Claudette said she hadn’t felt the Entity’s pull for an extended period of time, that she was able to feel safe here, I just really wanted to see if it was true.” She eyed the priestess warily. “I guess you don’t seem all that bad, but for a moment I was sure you were gonna beat the shit out of Claudette. It’s just been… hard. I’m the newest, besides Ash, but he’s hardened with experience. I just… I miss feeling okay, I guess.”

She could empathize with that. She had been feeling the same way up until recently - she had no one to help her feel less alone, and it was probably illicit for a killer to feel fear or confusion in the eyes of the Entity.

“Then you may stay here, if you wish.” She led them both down the stairs, back to the mattress. While she wasn’t fond of Claudette sleeping in the same bed with another woman, she certainly wasn’t going to make Jane sleep on the cold stone floor.

“It’s not much, but it’s all there is for now. Perhaps I can venture out later and ask Anna if she has some blankets.”  _ Or another bed,  _ she thought to herself with just a touch of contempt.

“Who’s Anna?”

“The Huntress you told me about earlier. She introduced me to Philip as well.”

“... Who’s Philip?”

“He’s, ah, the one who rings the bell and disappears?”

“The Wraith!” They exclaimed in unison

“Yes, that.” She gestured towards the bed. “Now, sleep. I will watch over you, lest I be summoned.”

Before she ascended the steps, Claudette called out to her. “Tell us about it later, Adi?”

“...Of course, my dear.” Discussing her interaction with the other killers would likely anger the Entity more than she already had, not to mention hosting the two, but Claudette was much more important, the girl’s happiness beginning to negate any punishment she could possibly receive from the demon.

_ I don’t think it’s possible for me to say no to her. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Чёрт= "Shit!"  
> мама= "Mom/mama" (duh)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody:  
> Me: Susie 👁👄👁

“Jane, you literally can’t touch that.”

The two had  _ just  _ woken up, and Jane was already prowling around, poking at artifacts and manhandling delicate baubles that, if broken, would undoubtedly give poor Adiris a heart attack.

“Actually, I literally can.” She was rolling some kind of gold sphere around in her hand.

“No, actually, you can’t. It’s rude, snooping around and touching her things. Show some decency - she didn’t give us permission.”

With a roll of the eyes, Jane reluctantly put the thing back on the ledge where she had found it. Then immediately moved on to something else - a stone statue of a strange goat, with a mermaid-esque tail and large, exaggerated horns.

“Dude, seriously-”

“C’mon, Claude! Sure, she didn’t give us permission to look around, but we didn’t give her permission to  _ kill us _ , did we?”

With an exasperated sigh, Claudette threw her arms up in the air, rubbing her hands against her face. “What kind of comparaison is that? Seriously, stop touching it.” If that statue was in fact a representation of the Sea-Goat Adiris had mentioned earlier, it certainly wouldn’t go over well if she came back to find it wrecked.

Luckily, Jane stepped away from the statue, though she made it obvious that she wasn’t happy with Claudette’s constant badgering. Jane was the type that got bored very easily, which  _ did _ make Claudette feel a bit bad, even though Jane could always choose to leave if she wanted. This wasn’t their home, but the priestess had been gracious enough to grant them temporary refuge. She didn’t want to fall out of Adiris’ good graces, that was for sure.

They were on the main floor of the temple, Jane sitting on the floor, Claudette standing across from her, both staring at each other.

“So what the fuck are we supposed to do then? The bitch is gone and we’ve got the whole place to ourselves, and you expect me to just sit here and do nothing?”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Claudette counted to three. She really didn’t appreciate the way Jane was so blatantly disrespecting Adiris, but she knew she had to try to see where Jane was coming from. Being a naturally kind and forgiving person, it was much easier for her to forgive Adiris for everything that had happened, especially with an explanation - and tears. Oh, the tears always got to her. Jane, on the other hand, was more brutish in terms of personality and attitude, though she may not look it. She had gotten to where she was in her previous life by taking risks and pushing boundaries, seizing life by the horns and facing her problems head on. While it was something Claudette admired, it also made her a royal pain in the ass at times.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to helicopter you or anything. I honestly just care about Adiris and I want to make sure she knows that. Part of showing that is making sure my friends behave respectfully while she’s gone.”

“Yeah, I can tell you care about her a lot, considering the way you talked about her last night.” Placing her pointer and middle finger on opposite sides of her mouth, Jane stuck her tongue out and started wriggling it around, emulating oral sex.

“Oh, shut up.” Her face was on fire. Had she really fawned over Adiris that much?

Laughing, Jane stood up. “Okay, I get ya, goon. I won’t touch anything, but you can’t stop me from looking around!”

“Well… okay. That should be fine.”

With that, Jane took off downstairs, babbling about talking to Adiris to see if she’d let them bring more friends over.

If she was being honest with herself, the whole thing had made Claudette a bit jealous. The way Adiris had just let Jane stay over without a second thought irked her. Just a little bit. It was selfish, and she felt like a bitch, especially since she’d brought Jane over in the first place, but she wanted to be special to Adiris. She didn’t care if she was nice to the other survivors - if anything, she encouraged it - but hearing Jane mention bringing others over had made her a bit anxious. What if Adiris started liking someone more than her? What if she replaced Claudette entirely? These were foolish thoughts, she knew that - she hadn’t technically known Adiris for very long, and already she was being irrational.

Claudette had always felt bad for Adiris though, even in the beginning. Seeing her for the first time, she’d immediately recognized what she was suffering from and had felt insane amounts of pity for her. The plague wasn’t something you had to experience to know it was painful, uncomfortable, and downright dehumanizing - of course, part of Adiris’ ability was to make them experience it as well.

So it wasn’t as if she had felt nothing for Adiris before. The kindness shown by the priestess had just capitalized on what was already there. At least, that’s what she figured. She’d felt bad for other killers, too, like the Hillbilly or the Spirit, even the Cannibal. There was something that radiated from them, something that indicated they were hurting on the inside.

Claudette was sitting on the same ledge as she had the first night with Adiris, legs dangling over the edge. She’d been so deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed one of the Legion members standing below her, looking up.

“Oh,  _ fuck! _ ” She leapt back in a panic, keeping her eyes on the member.

“Whatcha up to?” It was the one with pink hair. Her mask was off, revealing a pretty face with blue eyes that were surprisingly kind. She was chewing bubblegum, blowing a large bubble before it popped, slurping the remnants on her lips back into her mouth.

“I- what?”

Crouching down then jumping up to grip the ledge, the Legion member hoisted herself up, plopping down by Claudette, crossing her legs and leaning back to support her weight on her hands. Another bubble bloomed from her mouth, disappearing as it popped. “I said, whatcha up to?”

“Yeah, no I heard - I’m just chilling, I guess? Are you not gonna-”

“Kill you? Nahhhh. Frankie or Jules, sure, but me? Never been a sucker for violence.” She patted the spot beside her. “Siddown, babe, I don’t bite. ‘Til it’s my job to bite, of course.”

Cautiously, Claudette resumed her previous position as the pink-haired girl watched her, amused. “What are you doing here?”

“HA!” She barked, as if that were the funniest thing she’d heard in a while. “Could ask ya the same thing, but you asked first. Philip ‘n Anna told me they’d had a run in with Little Miss Bulimia - seemed to like her a lot, told me to stop by and say hi. Guess she’s not around, especially seeing that you hooligans are here instead.” Doing a half turn, she nodded her head in Jane’s direction, who was standing at the opposite side of the temple, watching in bewilderment.

“So, riddle me this, Jumpy. How in the hell are you two here while Adiris isn’t?”

Claudette really wasn’t sure if she should answer that question. What if this other killer would get Adiris in trouble with the Entity?

“I’m just curious,” the girl said after a moment of silence. “Not looking to get anyone into trouble or nothin’.”

She’d just have to take her word for it. “It’s a long story, but uh, she let me stay here. My friend too, when I brought her back.”

The girl started to crack up, body shaking with exertion as she started to lose her breath, bending forwards as she heaved in futile attempts to breathe.

“Damn, looks like we got ourselves another Softie!”

“A, um, Softie?”

Taking a moment to calm down and compose herself, the member spoke. “Yeah, Softies! I’m one of ‘em. My crew makes fun of me for being one all the time. We’re the killers that don’t like hurting the survivors - gotta do it in a trial, but if we stumble across one on the outside, we’d never lift a finger. Most of you don’t get it though, always stumbling away, shrieking and crying like a baby that shit its pants or somethin’.”

So there were more like Adiris? Claudette had figured that the priestess was just different in that regard. Knowing that there were others like her provided a sense of comfort. Relief, even.

“So you mean to say there’s others like Adiris?”

“And me!” Her lips turned down in mock irritation, easily replaced by a lighthearted smile. “But yeah, there’s quite a few Softies around.”

“Like who?” Her curiosity was piqued.

“Well, for starters, there’s Bubba - Cannibal, as you guys call him. Really doesn’t like hurting people, he’s just been scared most of his life. Scared of getting hurt, scared of making people upset. Then we got Philip, or Wraith, I suppose. He’s damn good at his job, but man, does it get to him sometimes. Lisa - Hag - is a sweetheart, and even though she can be downright vicious in her hunt, it’s nothing personal. She’s scared. Almost as scared as Bubba. Then, y’know, there’s me and now Adiris.”

“You know, that makes a lot of sense, hearing it.” It was true. She’d stumbled across the Cannibal - or Bubba, she supposed - during one of her many foraging sessions, and he’d hightailed away from her, sniffling as if he was about to start crying. Having been to the Bog many times, she’d always seen Lisa, watching her from afar, but never making an attempt to get closer to her. Philip, well, she never saw Philip, but if she could turn invisible, she’d probably be like that almost all the time too. She couldn’t recall seeing Susie outside of trials, Adiris once, and after that encounter, she was now in the priestess’ home.

“Yeah, and there’s the others too, of course.”

“Tell us about them!” Neither of them had noticed Jane slowly inching closer, until she was sitting between the two.

“Well shit. You guys sure do get friendly when there’s gossip involved.” A giggle, before proceeding. “We got the ones that aren’t mean, but they certainly aren’t soft like us. Max would be one of those. He’s the Hillbilly. Got a lot of pent-up rage because of his parents, and the trials are a way for him to vent that, get it out of his system. Rin is like that too, she’s the Spirit. Has a lot of hate for her dad - he’s the reason she ended up here - salt in the wound, I guess. Most of the time, neither of ‘em would hurt you, but it depends on the day, their luck in the trials, how far back they’ve been reaching into their bad memories.” Both Jane and Claudette nodded. “Sally - our friendly neighborhood Nurse - is a hard one to read. She’s pretty gentle when you get to know her, but she’s got a lot of rage. That’s a common theme with a lot of us - rage.” Pausing to take a moment, Susie looked up at the ceiling, twitching her fingers one at a time, as if she were counting. “ There's Amanda, Miss Piggy. She's difficult to understand. She gets a lot of joy from using her toys on you guys and torturing, but there are moments with her that make me wonder if that kind of cruelty is a natural trait or something she inherited from someone. Then there’s my crew - Us, the Legion. Frank and Julie don’t pussy out to much of anything, really, but Julie’s practically in love with Frank, so she’ll put on a facade no matter how she really feels. Frank’s a bit disturbed, got a few issues - he’s either hot or cold with you guys outside of the trials. I’ve seen both. I wouldn’t call him evil though, just a guy who got hit with a bad round of luck for the majority of his life and never could figure out how to handle it. Now, Joey, Joey’s a hoot and a half to analyze. Half the time I can’t really figure out what the fuck he’s thinking or why he does what he does, so I couldn’t really tell you what side of the spectrum he’s on. Then there’s me, Susie, and you know what I’m like already.” Taking a brief moment, she pulled a flask from the sleeve of her sweater, took a quick swig, put it back.

“Now… we got the ones that are a bit more… how should I say it-”

“Fucking mean?” Jane piped up.

Susie snapped her fingers, pointed at Jane and gave a brief round of applause. “Fucking Mean! Now that’s appropriate.”

“I’m happy to help.”

“So yeah, we got the ones that are Fucking Mean. We got the Trapper, Evan - now that’s a whole savage, right there. He’ll put traps around your campfire just so you guys can step in them - doesn’t matter if he’s gonna be there or not. The idea alone is enough to bring him pleasure. The Nightmare, better known to us as Freddy, is  _ all kinds of fucked up. _ Heard he diddles kids, but I’m still trying to get confirmation on that. He’s a mean son of a bitch that gets immense satisfaction out of interrupting people’s sleep. I dunno if he can do much out of the trials, but anyone who diddles kids and ruins people’s sleep is enough to be labeled Fucking Mean in my book.” Another pause, a brief flash of the silver flask. The next one seemed to upset her a little bit, but she continued on anyways. “Then we got Anna. She’s like my sister now - long story, remind me later - and I love her to bits but man, does she lose hold of her humanity sometimes. She becomes more beast than human, and it pains me to say it because she is always so sweet to all of us, but with you guys, it’s like she’s got a permanent hate-boner or something. Really wants to fuck you up. She’s got a bit of a crush though, that Ash fellow or something? Anyways, whatever. Her past was really rough, so maybe that’s why I forgive her so easily. Kenneth, or Jeffrey, or whatever the fuck, that big clown guy, he’s like another species. I get we have some full-blown cannibals up in this place, but his obsession with finger and  _ only  _ fingers borders on some weird fetish that I don’t even wanna start thinking about.”

Both Jane and Claudette shuddered, but Jane was the one to speak - Claudette’s always been more of a listener.

“Saw him take a finger off Kate, once, after she was dead. He just stared at it for like, an unnecessarily long amount of time? And then licked it? Put it on some sort of big ring he has attached to his pants or something.”

Susie cackled. “Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya, man. He gets off to it or something. I mean, have you  _ seen  _ him refill those bottles? He’s basically miming a good fap session.”

Despite her best efforts, Claudette snorted. Susie had a fun way of talking.

“Anyways, anyways. Then we got our good doc, Herman Carter. Now, he’s always telling me about his “Magic Fingers” and how I should pop by for a visit sometime to try ‘em out. If you gotta rely on supernatural electricity to make a girl have an orgasm instead of pure, natural talent, you really shouldn’t be boasting.”

“But have you tried them out?”

Susie gave Jane the side-eye. “Now  _ that’s _ a discussion for another time, you wicked thing. As I was saying, our good doc. Has a sick obsession with the human mind. Now, it is fascinating and all, but the way he goes about it and his past experiments - man is fucked up. Thoroughly busted. I don’t know if he feels any remorse at all, and maybe this is too much info, but sometimes when some of your friends go missing for long periods of time, they aren’t in a trial or even going out to explore. The Entity just lures ‘em out to Carter’s, where he performs some really sick and painful experiments on them. Wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t like to talk about it.”

There were time when some of the others, usually Meg, Nea, Dwight, even David at times, would come back to the campfire, totally pale and seemingly unable to speak. Maybe the Doctor had had something to do with it.

“Aaaaand, last but not least,” rubbing her hands together in excitement, “we got Michael Myers. Goes by the Shape, but I’m pretty sure everyone just calls him Michael.”

They both nodded. “Laurie told us all about him,” Claudette was the one who spoke this time.

“Ah, yeah. One of your survivor friends actually has history with him. Not a lot of survivors like that, though I suppose Jeff did do some work for us before we all got pulled here. Well, I’m sure you know the gist about Myers - pure evil. That about sums it up. There is something you don’t know, and maybe I’m not supposed to tell, but I’m a mouthy little bitch and I don’t give much of a shit, so I’ll tell ya. Michael’s got a bit of an obsession with that Kate girl.. Now, whether it’s a “I-wanna-fuck-her-into-a-state-of-vegetation” obsession or a “I-wanna-murder-her-’til-the-dumb-bitch-don’t-come-back-no-more” type obsession, I dunno. But it’s some kind of obsession.”

“I’m sure it’s the latter,” Jane stated, “but knowing Kate, she probably wouldn’t pass up a good dick sesh if it was the former.”

Susie leaned over to Jane, a huge grin on her face. “You’re a rascal, Mademoiselle Romero.” She rolled the ‘r’ when she said rascal.

“How do you know all of this?”

“Well, you see Claudette - and this is a part of that long story I mentioned earlier - I’m very close with Philip, because he’s kind of my dad.” Seeing the looks of both dismay and curiosity on their faces, she clarified. “Like, he’s my dad here, in this place. Adoptive father.”

“Oooohhh!” The two were in perfect unison.

“And Philip, when he goes invisible, he’s in the Spirit World. The spirits there talk to him and tell him things the rest of us don’t know, and that stuff includes all of that juicy intel I just gave you. He shares most of it with Sally and I. He keeps Anna out of the loop, mostly because she won’t understand all of it and I honestly don’t think she’d care all that much either way.”

It was surprising how easy it was to stop seeing the killers as, well, killers. She had felt comfortable around Susie in a minute, at most. It took a bit longer with Adiris, but that was before she even knew that there was a possibility for killers to be nice.

“So are you, Philip and Anna like a family?” Since she’d said something about it earlier, Claudette figured she’d dig a little deeper.

“Yep, Sally too. Philip and Sally are together. Sally’s always wanted kids, and Anna lost her mother, so it’s kind of perfect. They weren’t together when Anna was here, but they were all close. When the two eventually started dating, it became more like a family instead of a friendship. Apparently, when We, the Legion, got here, Sally thought I was the cutest thing ever. It took me a while, but they grew on me. Now, I can’t think of them as anything but family.”

It was so weird how all of this was going on with the killers, and they had no idea. Their theory was that the killers sat around and waited until they were called to trials, or were constantly stalking the campfire in hopes of snagging a quick kill, outside of a trial. In reality, there was so much more to them, so many dynamics they never would have figured out. If Philip and Anna had taken a liking to Adiris, then maybe she could join their family.

Even that thought sparked a twinge of jealousy within her. Part of her just wanted it to be her and Adiris, at the temple, being friends. What Jane said earlier passed through her mind. More than friends…

She’d be happy for Adiris, regardless of that stupid, unreasonable, intrusive feeling of jealousy. She really wanted her to feel happy and safe, and she knew Adiris wanted that for her too.

_ Why don’t I just talk to her about this instead of assuming things? _

She would do that when she got back, then. She got butterflies when she remembered the affectionate way Adiris had massaged her head, while Jane was right there.

“You guys mind if I stick around until she gets back?” Susie, graciously, removed her from her thoughts.

“Yeah, no worries.”

Claudette got up and left Susie and Jane in each other’s company, laughing and chatting like they were long lost friends. She wanted to take a moment to think, venturing down into the crypt and entering the middle of the room where the altar stood, the effigy still there. The statue started to pulsate as she got closer, a black fog forming around it. It started to hum and vibrate, a voice speaking within her mind.

_ Come closer, little one. _

It was Adiris! Her voice, clear as day. She began to feel woozy, head growing heavy as her vision fogged. In her blurring eyesight, sitting upon the altar was no longer the statue, but Adiris herself.

“Adi, I don’t feel-”

_ Lay your hands upon me. I will make you feel better. _

That sounded nice. Really nice. Adiris really did make Claudette feel better. So much better. They hadn’t even hugged yet. She really wanted to hug her. Walking towards the priestess with arms outstretched, she placed her hands on the woman’s hips.

Some kind of force took control of her, fusing her hands onto Adiris’ flesh as her palms started heating up, to the point where it felt like they were on fire. She couldn’t move.

_ I am curious, little one,  _ Adiris purred, wrapping her hand around the back of Claudette’s skull, the touch making her skin crawl, as to  _ what you were thinking that night. _ Gripping a fistful of her hair, she tugged Claudette’s head backwards, forcing her to look up.

It was like she was melting, but not in the good, romantic kind of way. Her body was impossibly tense as her insides lurched around underneath her skin, feeling feverish as her temperature rapidly shot way above what was considered normal. Adiris’ skin didn’t feel soft and fleshy like she thought it would - it was hard and chitinous, like the shell of a beetle. Her eyes were pitch black with orbs of red in the center.

“Wha- what night..?” Rapidly fluttering her eyes, she was trying desperately to keep from fainting.

For the briefest moment, Adiris’ face contorted with an inhuman snarl, flashing sharp, needlepoint teeth instead of the regular human teeth Adiris had. Her grip tightened, applying an insane amount of pressure to Claudette’s head. She started to cry, feeling like her skull was getting crushed.

_ Don’t play dumb with me!  _ She hissed, her voice full of malice and contempt, before realizing her mistake and switching back to a saccharine tone.  _ That night, my sweet. I simply want to know what was going through your head. _

All previous factors combined with that sudden slip-up and the way Adiris’ voice now held some sort of otherworldly echo to it was enough for Claudette to piece it together, even in her muddled state. Adiris hadn’t come back yet. She had no reason to sneak into her own temple and would never use force while conversing with Claudette.

_ ANSWER ME, YOU STUPID THING!!! _

She was slammed with a wave of staggering heat that could’ve very well seared her organs. Her mouth cracked open into an unearthly shriek as everything started to go black, pain overwhelming her.

Faintly, over her rapidly fading hearing, she heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, accompanied by a series of curse words, then an arm wrapping her waist, tugging her away from the imposter.

The pain began to lessen, but the process was slow and she found herself wishing she had died then and there instead of dealing with the aftermath of whatever the hell that thing was and what it had done to her. She couldn’t see anything, but the person that held her was rocking her back and forth, rubbing her back, so she stayed put and wept against the figure’s chest until her vision started to return. Looking up through eyes brimming with tears, she saw Susie, who looked like she’d been crying as well.

“You see, kiddo, that’s the kinda shit we don’t do.” The tone used was soft, doting.

“Huh..?” Slurring from the immense pain, she couldn’t remember how to speak. She did know what she wanted to say:  _ What the hell just happened? _

“C’mon, honey. I’m gonna bring you upstairs and Jane is gonna look after you while I go get Philip and try to find Adiris, okay?”

Blacking out several times on the short way back up, she barely registered being plopped into Jane’s arm, who went into a panic, trilling at Susie, demanding to know what happened.

 

***

 

_ “It did  _ **_WHAT_ ** _ to her?!”  _ Claudette flinched, Adiris’ hysterical voice grating on her ears.

Several figures appeared at the top of the temple stairs; Adiris, Philip to her left, Susie to her right, Anna behind them, carrying a pile of furs. Claudette shifted out of Jane's arms, trying to crawl to Adiris.

She didn't have to go very far - the priestess rushed towards her and picked her up, cradling her like a baby as she wept and muttered in her native language.

The rest of the killer group crowded around the two, Jane peeking over Susie's shoulder. Philip held the statuette in his hands - it was chattering incomprehensibly in a pitchy squeak, but it sounded angry nonetheless. Susie looked like she was trying not to laugh at the thing, while Anna had a frown plastered on her face.

“You keep little Spider-Thing, Adiris? Why?” She spoke with a heavy Russian accent.

“It told me I was required to have it in my presence at all times.” She moved to the lower level, the others following in hot pursuit. Taking one of the blankets Anna was holding, she started swaddling Claudette into the soft fur, guiding her to the mattress.

“It says that to all of us.” Philip had a deep, elegant voice, if a bit raspy. “It's actually how It spies on us. Believe it or not, the Entity can't be everywhere at once. For the most part, It stays in Its lair, somewhere in the void, because It is too lazy to really do anything. So it makes these little… effigies, I suppose, and “gifts” them to every killer in order to spy.”

Susie chimed in. “Yup. Gave one to all four of us - when Philip found out, I think he had a heart attack. Gave ‘em up pretty easily - thought they were kind of off-putting to begin with.”

“I not like spy, I like privacy!” Anna practically hissed.

Adiris looked between each and every one of them, looking concerned, then mildly angry. She was still in pain, but Claudette started to feel a little better, now that the priestess was back. Both physically and emotionally.

“How  _ distasteful _ .” Adiris’ voice was full of venom, lips curling upwards to form a sneer. “What do you intend to do with it?”

“We give these to Evan. He smelts them down and salvages from the remainders - stone or magical properties to improve his traps, usually.” Philip turned his gaze upward, cocking his head, as if he were thinking. “Even  _ Michael _ gave his up. That speaks volumes, now that I think about it.”

She shifted her gaze to Claudette, panic showing in her eyes, though she tried not to show it. “What happened to you?”

Claudette shifted around, taking a deep breath to prepare for the exertion it would take for her to speak. “It… It spoke to me, but it sounded like you. It did something to me, so I couldn't think straight, so I went over to it and then… It looked just like you, but the eyes and voice were different. It made me touch it, and once I did it just started… burning me. It wanted to know what I was doing here.”

Gently, Adiris picked up Claudette's arm, tracing over scars and burn marks she hadn't even noticed. She turned her gaze from Claudette's arm to look towards Susie, Anna, and Philip, desperate for an answer. “What does that mean?”

The three paused, passing glances between each other, until they came to a silent consensus that Philip was the one who should speak.

“The Entity surely noticed that Claudette had been spending time here, but as I said, It can't be everywhere and It certainly doesn't know everything. I think It wanted to get answers in regard to what's going on.”

“The Entity is pretty stupid though,” Susie added, “It thinks violence is the answer to everything - if It wants answers, It should've played the part accordingly.” She tapped the front of the statue, started to tickle it. “Naughty Entity!”  She cackled with glee as the thing shrieked.

Anna had been relatively quiet through the whole thing. She had been mainly focused on Claudette - however, she didn't seem aggressive, or like she had the intent to hurt Claudette. From what she could decipher from the bottom half of her face, she seemed more puzzled than anything else, her head often swiveling between Adiris and Claudette, trying to figure out what the situation was.

“Yes, well.” Philip tightened his grip on the statue's middle, diminishing the screeching into a barely discernible mumbling. “I'll waltz over to Evan's. Probably best to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.” With that, he made his exit.

Silence ensued once more, a series of awkward glances exchanged between the remaining five. Anna's presence seemed to make Jane nervous.

“Why you hold prey like that?”

Adiris, her arms wrapped tightly around Claudette, glanced at Anna. “She is not prey, Anna. She is a friend. She is human.”

Anna shook her head, vigorously. “Prey is  _ not _ friend. We _ hunt _ prey.”

Susie shifted her weight from foot to foot, visibly uncomfortable, Jane standing right behind her, inadvertently mimicking her body language.

“Well… it's not really  _ okay _ to kill people, Anna.”

This seemed to shock the Huntress, abruptly swinging her head to the side to look at Susie. “What you mean, little sister? They just  _ things _ to - to practice. To take from. Take tools, clothes…” She looked down, fiddling with the ring on her hand. “Daughters…”

Susie, glancing at Adiris, then to Claudette, to Jane, wore a look of distress and seemed extremely stressed and uncomfortable. Maybe out of pity for the girl, Adiris spoke.

“You can obtain those things  _ without _ harming others, Anna. You don’t have to kill to get-”

The masked woman shook her head again, lower lip trembling. Claudette scooted back. “No…”

“It’s true-”

_ “ _ **_NO!_ ** _ ”  _ In a fit of rage, Anna launched a hatchet, barely missing Adiris’ head, instead lodging into the stone wall behind her. Susie flinched - Adiris had no reaction.

“Kill means survive!  Мама  _ died  _ because she not kill! Thing kill her instead!” Anna started clenching her fists, causing Susie to stand in front of Adiris and Claudette. Jane decided this was an appropriate time to go upstairs and wait it out. “If no kill, no survive! Мама showed me! We survive because we kill. We ate because we kill. Then she die, and I survive because I kill! That-” Anna shifted around Susie, pointing a finger at Claudette, “- means kill stupid human!  _ Stupid _ prey!” Her gaze then shifted to Adiris. “We don’t take care of prey!”

Claudette, having entered a somewhat vegetative state, didn’t fully grasp the situation. She knew Anna was yelling, and that made Adiris pull her up into her lap, perching her chin on her head. That was all that really mattered - Adiris was there now. She’d keep her safe.

Luckily for both Claudette  _ and  _ Adiris, Susie was there, familiar with Anna. She stepped forward, rubbing Anna’s arms. “Did mama ever kill humans, Anna?”

Pausing, the woman seemed to think. Shook her head. “No… but-”

“Because we’re not  _ supposed  _ to kill humans. We’re meant to get along and help each other, help each other thrive, build on one another, not snuff each other out - literally.”

Anna went still, like a statue, until her lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl. While she looked ferocious, her voice cracked. “You…  _ no. Wrong _ .” Turning on her heel, she stormed up the stairs, head held down the whole way.

Now, there was more or less an awkward tension in the room. Nobody had really expected that conversation to ensue, but it had. Susie shifted to face the two, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Heh… sorry about that…”

“That’s alright.” Adiris spoke for Claudette as well, the girl staring blankly through bleary eyes. “What shall I do?”

“For now, just stay with her. Make sure, she’s comforted, safe. The… mental effect, or whatever, should fade in a bit, but for the scars and burns, we’ll go see Sally later and see if there’s anything she can do.”

Claudette wished she could speak, say absolutely anything, but there was a heavy fog clouding over her mind that was keeping her from speaking out. She was able to understand everything that happened, which was fortunate, but hadn’t had much of a reaction.

Adiris still had Claudette’s head nestled underneath her chin, so she felt her nod. “Okay, thanks.”

A minute passed.

“I’m Susie.”

“Adiris.”

Another cheshire grin. “I know. Your friend told me about you.” The arms around Claudette’s waist squeezed tighter - possessive.

“What exactly are you doing here?”

“Came to see you. You weren’t here, so I stuck around. Guess our meeting wasn’t under ideal circumstances.”

“Maybe so, but you had no control over it. Thank you for saving her.”

Susie rocked on the balls of her feet, hands clasped behind her back. “Ain’t no thing, babes. I came here ‘cuz Philip wanted me to meet you. Anyways, dunno if you figured it out, but me, Anna, Philip and Sally are pretty much a family. Wanted to see if maybe-”

Susie didn’t get to finish her sentence, because Adiris stood up, Claudette still held firmly against her side with her left arm, pulling Susie into a tight hug with her right.

“I would be honored, Susie!”

Another laugh, followed by Susie gently patting Adiris’ back. Claudette wished she could say something, something supportive, but that goddamn Entity just had to go and fuck her over.

“Okay, cool. Lil’ Clauds can probably join too. Gotta try to get through to Anna though. Anyways, guess I’ll skedaddle-”

“Uh, hey?” Jane called nervously from the top of the stairs. “I should probably get going too… but I don’t want to go back to the campfire. Just yet, at least.”

Eager, Susie bounded up the steps, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Come stay with Us! You’ll love it, I swear!” They started to walk away, Susie’s voice echoing throughout the chamber. “Be careful around Joey - he can’t resist and woman with banger curves like yours!”

The voices faded, signaling that Adiris and Claudette were now alone. The priestess shifted, cradling Claudette against her bosom, the two lying down side by side. Stroking her hair, Adiris hummed foreign melodies to Claudette, some sounding like holy hymns, others like regular songs.

“Can you hear me, darling?”

Claudette was able to nod. A sigh of relief.

“Good.”

And so she was lulled through her pain and fear through stories and song, promises to protect made as she lay in the arms of her intimate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to pace a chapter hahA
> 
>  
> 
> Also you best believe I'll be following up with every ship mentioned in this chapter I am SOFT


	5. Interlude I guess???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just want to get y'alls opinions on some things

Hey guys! OP here. I'm sorry this isn't an actual chapter, it's been stressful lately (our commencements are today as of writing this - finally done twelfth grade!) and I kinda lost direction for this fic in regards to where it should go in terms of relationships in between characters and what I should include in the story in general.

Obviously, the focus of this fic is between Adiris and Claudette, but how would you guys feel if I also included little breaks from the main story and focused on developments between the other characters in between? This would mean having chapters that would focus on the following ships:

• Jane x Joey (x)  
• Susie x Herman (x)  
• Kate x Michael  
• Philip x Sally  
• Anna x Ash

As well as friendships/possible relationships between other characters in the future? Also, would smut in this fic make any of you uncomfortable? It's not my strong suit lol, but it is something I'd like to practice - provided the majority of readers are okay with it.

Feel free to let me know in the comments, but if you'd be more comfortable talking to me personally, I'll leave my Twitter/Steam/Discord on my profile. This still stands even as this fic gets updated - I would love to hear what you guys have to say, for this fic or any other fic I write in the future! :)

Edit: Susie x Herman and Jane x Joey are a no go!!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is super appreciated! Please let me know what you think so far!


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